Thursday, March 31, 2011

Flawless performance: There was no special reference made in yesterday's show to Tilikum's return

The killer whale that drowned a female trainer at Orlando's SeaWorld performed flawlessly yesterday, for the first time since last year's tragedy.

Tilikum took part in the Florida marine park's signature Believe show, wowing thousands amid heightened safety that included a steel bar protecting the orca's trainers.

It was his first performance since dragging 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau from poolside by her pony tail and drowning her during a performance on February 24 last year.

Back in action: Tilikum and his fellow orcas jumped in unison and splashed those in the front rows, delighting a crowd that filled the 5,000-seat Shamu Stadium to capacity

Trainers on the platform stood behind the stout metal bar shaped as an inverted 'U' that was designed to prevent a whale from coming up out of the pool and biting and dragging a trainer into the water.

SeaWorld animal training curator Kelly Clark said returning Tilikum to performing more than a year later was best for the whale.

'Participating in shows is just a portion of Tilikum's day, but we feel it is an important component of his physical, social and mental enrichment,' she said.

'He has been regularly interacting with his trainers and the other whales for purposes of training, exercise and social and mental stimulation, and has enjoyed access to all of the pools in the Shamu Stadium complex.'

Heightened safety: Trainers kept their distance during the performance. Tilikum has already been implicated in three deaths

'Free Tilly': SeaWorld animal training curator Kelly Clark said returning Tilikum to performing more than a year later was best for the whale, but demonstrations were held outside the arena

There was no special reference made in yesterday's show to Tilikum's return.

Nonetheless, Tilikum was the main draw for many. Orcas jumped in unison and splashed those in the front rows, delighting a crowd that filled the 5,000-seat Shamu Stadium to capacity.

No trainer has been allowed in the water during the shows since Ms Brancheau's death and they remained out of the pool yesterday. The closest the trainers got was the pool deck, standing behind the steel bar whenever they reached over to occasionally toss them a fish treat or stroke the whales when they flopped on the platform.

In the accident that killed Ms Brancheau, she was nose-to-nose with the whale when her pony tail floated into the animal's mouth and she was dragged in, authorities have said. She managed to free herself initially, but the whale continued to strike and thrash her, they added.

Killer whale: It was Tilikum's first performance since killing trainer Dawn Brancheau, right, in a tragic poolside accident in February last year

Dangerous: Ms Brancheau had been nose-to-nose with the whale when her pony tail floated into the animal's mouth and she was dragged in

Since the death, SeaWorld officials have drawn up plans to spend millions of dollars on safety upgrades. Measures include installing rising pool floors that can quickly lift people and the whales from the water, underwater vehicles to distract the marine animals in emergencies, and portable oxygen bottles for trainers.

But the day was not without protests nearby.

Many of those who went to see Tilikum perform drove past about a dozen protesters gathered outside SeaWorld's gates. The demonstrators complained that killer whales should not be held in captivity and several held up signs reading 'Free Tilly'.

Angry wasp: Instead of finding his own food, the barb-tailed bully swoops in, sweeps them up and airdrops the ants elsewhere before guzzling their tasty haul himself

He should really mind his own buzz-ness, but this angry wasp's not going to listen to a tiny ant's terrified pleas.

Instead of finding his own food, the barb-tailed bully swoops in, sweeps them up and airdrops the ants elsewhere before guzzling their tasty haul himself.

Sometimes they return in greater numbers to reclaim the lost meal, biting and spitting acid at their resilient mugger. But the determined wasp just picks them up again and dumps them further away - and from a greater height.

And he's not the only one of his kind to use his superior size to muscle smaller competitors away from a feast.

Scientists at Victoria University, in Wellington, New Zealand, say wasps have developped the tactic to gain access to food they wouldn't otherwise have.

Determined: Sometimes the ants return in greater numbers in a bid to reclaim the lost meal, biting and spitting acid at their giant mugger. But the determined wasp just picks them up again and dumps them further away

They made the startling discovery by studying interactions between native ants and invasive wasps in South Island beech forests.

Videotapes taken at bait stations show that wasps frustrated by having to compete with ants will pick them up in their mandibles, fly off and drop them away from the food.

As the number of ants on the food increases, so does the frequency of ant-dropping and the distance the ants are taken.

For the ants, say researchers Dr Phil Lester and Dr Julien Grangier, the experience is the human equivalent of being thrown up to half the length of a football field.

The ants are not physically hurt but appear stunned by the drop and often do not return to the bait station.

The wasp, Vespula vulgaris, is on the list of the world’s 100 worst invasive species and reaches the highest known density in South Island beech forests.

There, when competing for food, they dominate just about every animal except native ants.

'Despite being 200 times smaller,' said Dr Lester, 'the ants are able to hold their own by rushing at the wasps, spraying them with acid and biting them. Eventually the wasps get so angry they pick up the ant, take it away and return to eat the food.

Tactics: Wasps often drop the competitor from a great height which doesn't always hurt but they often decide not to come back

Dr Grangier added: 'To the best of our knowledge this behaviour has never been observed before.

'Our results suggest that these insects can assess the degree and type of competition they are facing and adapt their behaviour accordingly.

'It’s a new interaction between a native and an invasive species and a wonderful example of behavioural plasticity.'

He says the wasps’ ability to tune their behaviour according to the abundance and identity of competitors could help explain why they are so widespread and invasive.

The research findings are published today in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, one of the world’s leading publications in the field of biological sciences.

Dr Lester says other data gathered during the research suggests that ants may actually attract wasps in the first place.

'Wasps seem to hear ants "talking". They have nerves in their antennae that pick up pheromones or communication chemicals given out by the ants. So it could be the foraging ants that bring wasps to the food resource. Once there, they adjust their behaviour according to the level of competition imposed by these ants,' he added.

He said: 'It was just amazing that the son was content to just fall asleep anywhere.'They were really sweet and after a while the mother got hungry and rolled her son into the water so she could dive for clams.'

However, her efforts were interrupted when her youngster was taken away by the current and she had to keep breaking away from her fishing to tow her son back to safety.

Father-of-three Mr Maxwell, from Alaska, America, said: 'We were on a pleasure cruise when this really pretty mother popped up with her son.

When the pup eventually dozed off his mother got on with some fishing, returning every now and then to check that her baby hadn't floated away

'She was grooming him and he was suckling and eventually he just nodded off. It was quite cold so he stayed on her stomach to keep warm.

'Her son remained asleep on his back while she went below the water's surface and came up with a clam that she would open and eat.'

'However, in between her food runs she would have to grab her son and tow him back to safety because the current was pretty strong and kept taking him away.

'The mother didn't mind us coming up quite close and she was there for about half an hour.'

Brian added: 'To spot a white otter is very rare so the incredible moment was made that bit more unique.

'In the end, the mum got about 12 clams and my friend and I were just relieved she was able to catch up with her baby before he strayed too far in the water.'

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Critically endangered Bali starlings (Leucopsar rothschildi), also known as Bali mynah, perch inside a cage at a zoo in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 30, 2011. There are estimated only around 100 of one of the world's rarest birds are left in the wild.

A zoo official holds a critically endangered Bali starlings (Leucopsar rothschildi), also known as Bali mynah, at a zoo in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 30, 2011. There are estimated only around 100 of one of the world's rarest birds are left in the wild.

A zoo official implants a microchip under the skin of a critically endangered Bali starlings (Leucopsar rothschildi), also known as Bali mynah, at a zoo in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 30, 2011. There are estimated only around 100 of one of the world's rarest birds are left in the wild.

Doomed: The unlucky insect is unable to escape from his tiny water prison after being caught in a sudden downpour, in Queensland, Australia

This extraordinary image shows an ant trapped in a tiny perfect sphere of water, totally unable to escape, after being caught in a sudden heavy downpour.

The unlucky insect found itself literally caught in the rain after it decided to take a stroll outside in Noosaville, Queensland, Australia.

Photographer Adam Gormley, 34, was there at exactly the right moment to to snap the incredible image. He said: 'I had been using specialist close-up camera gear to snap spiders in his neighbour's garden.

'I wasn't having much luck because of a short but heavy shower of rain. So I decided to photograph the little water drops sitting on the leaves of the plants.'

Adam had no idea there was an ant in one of the three millimetre droplets until he viewed the images later on his computer.

He added: 'I thought it was some dirt inside the drop, and it was not my main focus, I liked the way the drop was sitting on the aloe-vera leaf, with the tiny hairs.

'When I uploaded the shot to my PC, I viewed it large, and I think I shouted out loud in excitement when I realised what I'd captured by accident!'

He's back: Kelly Flaherty-Clark, left, and trainer Joe Sanchez, work with killer whales Tilikum, left and Trua, right, during a training session at SeaWorld in Orlando

He has been involved in the deaths of three people, but today Tilikum the killer whale will resume public performances at SeaWorld.

The six-tonne whale has not appeared in a show at the Orlando marine park since he killed his trainer more than a year ago.

Tilikum is due to appear in an 11.30am performance of 'Believe,' the company's main killer-whale show, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

SeaWorld said that including the whale in shows is important for the animal's health and husbandry.

Killer: The six-tonne whale has not appeared in a show at the Orlando marine park since he killed his trainer more than a year ago

'Participating in shows is just a portion of Tilikum's day, but we feel it is an important component of his physical, social and mental enrichment,' Kelly Flaherty-Clark, SeaWorld Orlando's animal training curator, said in a prepared statement.

The 22-foot-long animal, twice as big as any of the Orlando park's other six performing whales and a prolific sire of baby whales in captivityHe dragged Dawn Brancheau, 40, into the pool by her pony tail and then thrashed her while she was in the water, as horrified spectators looked on.

A sheriff's office report said Brancheau was not in the water with Tilikum, but lying on her stomach on a platform submerged in a few inches of water.

She was nose-to-nose with the whale when her long hair floated into the animal's mouth and she was dragged in.

She managed to free herself initially, but the whale continued to strike and thrash her.

It happened shortly after a 'Dine with Shamu' show, and some guests were still in the area.

Banned: No trainer is allowed in the water with Tilikum because of his size and dangerous history

Since then, Brancheau's husband retained a Chicago law firm for a possible wrongful death lawsuit, though one has not been filed. A lawsuit filed by a New Hampshire couple who claimed their 10-year-old son suffered emotional distress from seeing the whale attack is still pending.

The whale was also involved in the death of a trainer at a British Columbia aquarium in 1991 and a homeless man who sneaked into SeaWorld Orlando's killer-whale complex after hours in 1999.

SeaWorld is currently challenging a $75,000 citation by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issued last summer.

It accuses the company of exposing its killer whale trainers to danger without adequate protection.

The agency also recommended that trainers never work directly with Tilikum again.Flaherty-Clark said SeaWorld would be using the 'same methods in caring for Tilikum that have been in place for more than a year.'

These include placing trainers further away from the killer whale when working with him - they masasge him with high-pressure hoses instead of by hand for example.

They had also put guardrails around pool ledges and devices taht can quickly deploy safety nets in an emergency.

Dead: Tilikum is seen with trainer Dawn Brancheau. The whale dragged her into the pool by her pony tail and then thrashed her while she was in the water, as horrified spectators looked on

SeaWorld said it would be more changes in the coming months. These will include the installation of fast-rising, false-bottom floors in its killer-whale pools.

These floors will be capable of lifting whales and trainers out of the water in less than a minute.

Critics say the company is risking its trainers' lives by continuing to work with the killer whale.

'If you had a friend that had a dog that had mauled three people, would you go play with that dog?' Russ Rector, a former dolphin trainer in Fort Lauderdale who now opposes keeping marine mammals in captivity told the Sentinel.

'These people only care about the show. They never learn.'

Although trainers have not been allowed in the water since Brancheau's death, there are plans for them to return to working with the whales in their pools.

Officials last month said trainers in three of its U.S. marine parks would begin limited 'water work' with killer whales.

However no trainer will be allowed in the water with Tilikum. SeaWorld had banned water work with the animal even before Branchaeu's death because of his size and dangerous history.

The company had started some limited 'water desensitization training' - in which a whale is taught to ignore a human in the water - before the tragedy.

Take that! The hind legs of the zebra slam into the lion's face and jaw, leaving him dazed but he is soon after the animal again

It was like the scene from the hit film Madagascar when hungry Alex the lion sees his friend Marty the zebra as his next meal.

But as in the film this lion was left hungry after he chose to make this particularly zebra cross - and was rewarded with an almighty kick to the face.

These amazing images were captured from the safety of a truck in Ngorongoro Conservation area, Tanzania, by wildlife fanatic Thomas Whetten.

The end? The lion easily catches the spooked zebra and grabs onto the back of the desperate animal before sinking his teeth into its flesh

In them, the zebra, who was blissfully unaware that a pack of lions were on the prowl for lunch, casually strolls through the grasslands.

But hiding in the grass, one of the killing machines creeps up on the oblivious animal, who becomes spooked and bolts.

Ducking, diving and weaving: The zebra uses all its strength to fight off the lion before delivering the almighty blow with its legs

The lion's speed means he swiftly catches up with his potential meal, leaping on its back and sinking its teeth deep into the zebra's flesh.

Undaunted, the zebra desperately fights to save its life - ducking, diving and weaving to shake off the predator.

Not this time: The lion, with his jaws wide open and ready, makes a leap at the zebra's leg but he managed to escape its grasp

And with one big buck the zebra manages to catch the lion square in the face - knocking it to the ground.

Amazingly, the big cat manages to regain his footing and continue to snap at its legs as it flees - almost managing to sink a big bite into the zebra's rear end.

But after a high-speed chase, the lion is embarrassingly dumped into a muddy puddle - leaving him humiliated in front of a group of females.

Mr Whetten, from Tucson, Arizona, and who runs photographic tours of Africa said: 'We were all stood up in the safari jeep watching these two packs of lions when suddenly this zebra walks between both sets.

Best of friends... and enemies: The battle between lion and zebra invoked memories of a scene in the 2005 film Madagascar

'He was completely unaware that they were even there and the lady standing next to me started screaming 'run zebra run' but it didn't take any notice.

'The next we know the lion is chasing him, jumps on its back but it managed to kick the lion into a big mud puddle.

'The funny thing is some people in another jeep got bored of watching the lions simply standing there and left before the action - missing it all.

'It was spectacular - even better than you see at the movies. It's very rare for a zebra to get away without being mauled at all.'

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Spanish Queen Sofia poses with twin six-months-old pandas Po and De De at the Madrid Zoo & Aquarium March 29, 2011. Twin pandas were born on September 7, 2010 conceived through artificial insemination in a joint effort by Spain's National Research council and scientists from China. The cubs are the first of their species to be born in Spain since 1982 and only the third litter to be born in Europe, according to Chinese veterinarian Yuan Bo, who travelled from Beijing to assist the birth and the first months of the newborns.

Spain's Queen Sofia (L) hugs a seven-months-old panda cub during her visit to Madrid's Zoo on March 29, 2011 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, Po and De De, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.

MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 29: Queen Sofia of Spain visits Panda bears at the Zoo Aquarium on March 29, 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

Seven-months-old panda cubs Po and De De play at Madrid's Zoo on March 29, 2011 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.

Spanish Queen Sofia laughs as she plays with twin pandas Po and De De at the Madrid Zoo & Aquarium March 29, 2011. The twin pandas were born on September 7, conceived through artificial insemination in a joint effort by Spain's National Research council and scientists from China. The cubs are the first of their species to be born in Spain since 1982 and only the third litter to be born in Europe, according to Chinese veterinarian Yuan Bo, who travelled from Beijing to assist the birth and the first months of the newborns.

Seven-months-old panda cubs Po and De De play at Madrid's Zoo on March 29, 2011 in Madrid. The two panda cubs, born on September 7, 2010 in Madrid, are the first giant panda twins to be born by artificial insemination outside China.